The Civil War in Syria: A New Uprising

The civil war in Syria began in March of 2011. It has been dormant for many years now, however for the last 72 hours the opposition rebels began their military operation against the central government in Damascus and managed to occupy most of Aleppo, the second most important city in Syria, within the past 72 hours. No one is sure about the future of this new uprising. Several recent events have happened in addition to the fall of Aleppo: the Damascus government closed the International Aleppo Airport for all traffic; many people from north began evacuating the cities taken by the rebels heading south; and the Syrian Airforce has began a bombardment campaign against the rebels in the occupied areas. At this moment, it appears the rebels are backed by neighboring Turkey. The Iraqi government has deployed three military regimens at its border with Syria. Moscow has declared its support to Damascus in fighting the rebels. This is a developing story.

g

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet, including this one! But again, may be you should!

I love chocolate

I love roasted chicken with rosemary

I love cheesecake

I love pistachios ice cream

I love coffee with milk

I love a salad made of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, and jalapeno green peppers

I love a tee bone steaks made on charcoal barbeque 

I love Italian spaghetti

I love a nice cold American beer in the summer

I love apple pies

I love everybody

I love America, the land of the free and the home of the brave

Thank you Jesus!

  

No...No...No...No...NO...NOOOOOO...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo...NoNoNoNoNo....NoNoNo...NoNo...No...No...No

I said NO

America Votes------Tuesday, November 5th, 2024

 

My Financial Debt Since April 2019 (0% = No Debt; 100% = Maximum Debt)....I almost got rid of my debt in June of 2021.

 

I Voted on October 18, 2024

 

Bizzarro Mars Rocks (NASA Images)

 

My Blood Pressure Over 22 Months Since I began Taking My Medications (Hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg t.i.d. and Carvedilol 6.25 mg t.i.d.)

 

My House, A Very Very Little House.....The Housing Market Grew Exponentially Since 2020....Excellent for Home Owners...Graph X = Time (Months); Y = % of Maximum Price

 

MPox in Africa

According to the 'Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention,' cases of Mpox (Monkeypox) were still increasing in several African countries as the number of people with the disease has spiked to 177%, and deaths have increased by 38.5% compared with last year during the same period. Infectious elements can be transmitted by contact with infected subjects (people or animals, mainly rodents). It should be noted that findings from another study from Canada suggest that a single dose of the Bavarian Nordic’s smallpox vaccine appears to provide a 'moderate' protection against the virus that causes Mpox. The Canadian study also suggests that this vaccine might have been beneficial in curbing the outbreak of Mpox in 2022.

SARS-CoV-2 Most Likely Originated From Natural Sources

 

New research published in the journal Cell (23 authors) last Thursday (September 19, 2024) pointing out a genetic origin (800 samples obtained in January of 2020) of the coronavirus pandemic (SARS-COV-2; also known as Covid 19 because it appeared in 2019) from an animal sold in Wuhan seafood market in China, however, other origins still cannot be ruled out. 

My Micro-Economy (Net Worth in Percent %): As of August 31, 2024

 

Reduced risk for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

Studies have found that taking doxycycline within 72 hours of having unprotected sex reduces significantly the risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, particularly in male homosexuals.

Syrian Jews

The population of Syrian Jews has declined steadily over the years (see graph above). Please note that these numbers are as is, in other words there were 15,000 Jews living in Syria in 1947 and now only two remain.

Christians in Syria

Syria is a country in the Middle East, North of Palestine and Jordan, East of Lebanon, West of Iraq, South of Turkey. Syria has suffered a civil war since March 2011. The population of Syrian Christians has dwindled over the years where it stands now at 1%. This graphs shows the decline of Christians population over the years in Syria.

Wearing A Mask

Interestingly, surveys indicate that approximately 13% of US population wear a mask all the time, fearing COVID-19 infection. Moreover, about 33% of the US population consider an infection with COVID-19 to be a "large to moderate" risk to their health. The same surveys have reported that 1 out 5 people in the US have taken an at-home COVID -19 test during the past 7 days. 

FDA Approves A New Vaccine for COVID-19

On Thursday, August 22, the US FDA approved a new vaccine for COVID-19 for the variant KP.2 that will provide protection against the circulating virus type KP.3.1.1. Three manufacturers will make their vaccines available this coming week (Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax). The new vaccine is intended to provide protection for an average of 12 months, although protection among individuals varies greatly. Consult with your physician for your own need, and whether or not you need vaccination. The vaccines are for adult and pediatric populations.

Ford Fiesta Hatchback, 2017 model [VideoShow 8 17 2024 11 18 22 AM]

Earthquake

Earthquake hit Syria, Jordan, and part of Lebanon yesterday. It was 5.5 in magnitude and no significant damage was reported. The center of the quake was in the old city of Hamath. The quake was said to be superficial, with only 10 km in depth from the surface. People slept on the streets fearing the aftershocks.

I got covid again! (Days 5-8)

Day 5, August 7, 2024: The night of Day 4/5 was kind of rough. I only slept a few hours mainly due to congestion and cough.

Day 6, August 8, 2024:The symptoms began to subside, but the nasal congestion lingered. I slept during the day and night. I was glad I did so as I needed some rest.

Day 7, August 9, 2024: I began to feel better today. The sterile saline solution mist has been helping clearing up my nasal congestion. I began noticing that my sense of taste has almost 95% gone. I am not sure about my sense of smell, although I think it has been affected greatly as well. I did not realize that I had lost my sensation of tasting and smelling until today because earlier in this illness I did not have the appetite to eat. My sleep continued to be good.

Day 8, August 10, 2024: All my symptoms are, but gone today, except for tasting and smelling things. I went out for the first time since last Friday, August 2. I even took my dog for a ride in the car. My appetite came back today, but my sense of taste is still lacking and so does my smell sense. I plan to go back to work on Monday. The CDC current recommendations are to isolate for five days and return to normal life after five days if symptoms have decreased with no fever. Luckily, I've never had fever during this covid episode. When I was out today walking my dog, a boy was yelling to his friend across park telling him he had covid! I guess young people don't get it as bad as old folks like me.

Thankfully, none of my household (my wife, my three adult sons, and my two dogs) appear to have the virus, so far. In fact, my dog stayed with me the whole time downstairs, whereas the others came downstairs as needed and remained there for a short period. I used the half-bath and all of them refrained from using it. I tried whenever I could to cleanse my hands with alcoholic gel.  I also tried to limit my touch to surfaces with my bare hands as much as I could. I do not think there is a typical covid case as each one of us experiences it differently. The bottom line, remain vigilant and conscientious, and most of all considerate to others. If each of us isolate while sick, we will all win. The good old saying "an once of prevention is better than a pound of cure" applies nicely here, and if I may add "and being considerate to others by limiting contact with the outside is key to control this miserable disease." Lastly, I plan to get vaccination against this virus every six months from now on. I do not want to go through this misery again.

Interest in vaccinating children is on the decline

Fewer and fewer adults believe that it is "extremely important" for their kids to be vaccinated. In 2019, 58% of the adults surveyed indicated their strong believe in vaccinating their kids, and in 2021, this number increased to 64%. A recent survey regarding this matter showed that only 40% will do so now, a sharp decline from the past few years.